Apparatus for holding documents for manifold writing



Dec. 25, 1951 EUSABETH HAL 2,579,808

APPARATUS FOR HOLDING DOCUMENTS FOR MANIFOLD WRITING Filed Dec. 10, 1946:3. u 23 I g ARM/MID ELISABETH AND RMAINEBRUAETELIJABETH ATTOkIYEI.

Patented Dec. 25, 1951 OFFICE APPARATUS FOR HOLDING DOCUMENTSFORMANIFOLD WRITING Armand Elisabeth and Germaine Brunet Elisabeth,Brussels, Belgium Application December 10, 1946, SerialNo. 715,226 InBelgium January 3, 1946 9 Claims.

This invention relates to document holders, more particularly toapparatus of the character indicated for holding documents intended tobe slidably positioned for duplicating, such as those used foraccountancy purposes and the like, and is especially concerned withimprovements in devices of the type in which rulers or the like are usedto insure the correct positioning of the documents relative tooneanother and to secure said documents in their correct positions.

For this purpose, rulers which are preferably arranged substantiallyparallel to one another are adapted to be raised and lowered relative toa base plate, which is generally flat, and which supports the documents.A ruler, when lowered on the base plate to hold thereon a document ordocuments, serves as a positioning guide for a superimposed document ordocuments.

Particularly in procedures iIlVOlVll'lg duplication by transfer, carbonsheets are generally used for transferring to a document or documents aninscription which is traced on another superimposed document.

However, as now carried out, this procedure presents many disadvantages.

When, for example, carbons of suitable size are to 'be put in positionbelow documents, on one of which inscriptions are about to be traced andthereby to be transferred .to underlying documents, difiiculties aregenerally experienced in introducing the carbons due to the tendency ofthe carbons to roll up and, if the carbon is thin, to become easilycreased. If, on the other hand, the carbon or carbons are fixed,particularly by holding them by means of the ruler which is intended tohold the document on the base plate so as to retain freedom of movementof the document or documents superimposed thereon. correct positioningof the super-imposed document or documents is prevented owing to thepresence of the carbon or carbons interposed between the .documents and"their positioning rulers.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved documenthold-er whereby these disadvantages may be obviated.

According to the invention, the carbon or carbons are fixed in suchmanner that, while freedom of movement of each and every document ispermitted, direct contact is provided between each of the documents tobe positioned and its positioning ruler or guide, this direct contactbeing insured along a predetermined length, or at two or more spacedpoints, either by the cooperation of recesses provided in the rulersorguides with one or more flaps, tongues or the like pro vided on. thecarbon or carbons, or by the cooperation of projections on the rulerswith a suitable aperture or apertures formed in the carbon or carbons.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description of certain preferred embodiments, given by wayof example and diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a more or less perspective view of a document holder inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the holdershown in Figs. 1 and 2;

and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a modified arrangement.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and .2, .the document holder illustratedcomprises a substantially flat base plate I adapted to support thedocuments on which inscriptions are to be drawnor transferred byduplicating, as for instance, accountancy documents.

Secured to base plate I, for example along one of its lateral sides, isa mounting 2 comprising a part 3, which may be slotted as shown at 2aand which overhangs partof the base plate I., whilst preferablyextending parallel with said base plate.

The mounting .2 i provided with rulers 4 adapted to be movedso as torest on the base plate l or to be spaced therefrom, such movements beingguided by means of stirrups as shown at 5, preferably adjustabletransversely to the base plate .I and to the mounting 2 to enable therulers 4 to be located in the required positions, conveniently parallelto one another. .Stirrups .5 are secured in their adjusted positions bymeans of screws 6 and the rulers are controlled by lever cams 1prefferably in such a way that the cams effect theraising of the rulersagainst the action of springs 8, shown in Fig. 2 surrounding the rods 9which connect the rulers A to the lever cams 1, but which may beotherwise arranged if desired, .for example housed in recesses providedin .the rulers at the locations of the guiding stirrups 5..

It will be seen that when a lever cam I is raised Fig. .1) the spring-.8 presses the .rulerA and the documents inserted beneath it against thebase plate I. When lowered, a ruler d can be used to insure thepositioning of the documents it is desired to superimpose upon thefirst-mentioned documents. For ensuring the positioning of a document ordocuments immediately adjacent the base plate I, no movable ruler isrequired and for such purpose any suitable portion of the mounting 2 maybe used, for instance, the guide formed by the edge 2b of said mounting.

As thus far described, the arrangement is similar to that of knownarrangements, so that a more extensive description thereof isunnecesary.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3, thecarbons ID to be fixed in position comprise one or more flaps such as II (which may be provided in the material of the carbons themselves orifdesired in a stiffer material attached to the carbons) of greater lengththan the overall width of the rulers and positioning guides, so as toproject on either side thereof, these flaps being adapted to be secured,beyond the rulers and guides, by any suitable means.

On the other hand, the positioning rulers 4 comprise recesses I2, thepositions of which correspond to the positions of the flaps H of thecarbons Ill, and the depth of which is such that the flaps II areperfectly free therein, thus enabling documents to be inserted under andbetween the carbons and into direct contact with the rulers and guidesintended to be used for their positioning.

Thus, in Fig. 3, the positioning rulers 4a and 4b'be'ing raised, and adocument such as I3 on which transfers are to be made being'slipped onthe base plate I, under the carbons, until the positioning guide 21) isengaged, the ruler 4a can be lowered, thereby retaining the document I3in position. A document I5 can then be either inserted between thecarbons, e. g. over a carbon I6, covering the inscription space of thedocument I3, if the document I5 is likewisea document on which atransfer is to be effected, or the document can be placed above all thecarbons, if the inscription is to be directly traced interposition of aspring or springs coiled around the rod 23 or otherwise suitablypositioned to press the plate 22 and the elements 20 in downwarddirection. Passages 26 for the flaps II are provided in the mounting 2and these passages are with advantage extended to the outer edge of themounting 2, while the flaps I I may be made of such length that theflush position of these flaps, at the outer edge, indicates that thecarbons occupy a correct position in the holder.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, any document (such as I3, I5,I'I, etc.) may at any moment be adjusted along its positioning ruler orguide, or replaced, subject, of course, to the previous raising of therespective ruler holding the document, and also any rulers holdingdocuments superimposed thereon, while the carbons remain in position andneither need to be manipulated nor displaced.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the carbons are provided withopenings as at 21 corresponding to projecting parts 28 of thepositioning rulers. These carbons can be held in position in the holderby any suitable means, as for instance, by means of a securing rulersuch as 29, while the positioning of the document adjacent to the baseplate I may be effected against a ruler such as 30 provided withprojections such as 28. The remainder of the apparatus and the operationthereof are otherwise in accordance with what has been above described.

thereon, the document I 5 in each case coming in direct contact with itspositioning ruler 4a and being properly positioned thereby while beingretained in 'the desired position by lowering the ruler 417 into contacttherewith. When the ruler 4b is lowered, a further document I! may beinserted between the carbons, while allowing a carbon I8 to restdirectly on the document I5, or may be placed above all the carbons, thedocument I1 coming in any case into direct contact with the face of itspositioning ruler 4b, in which position it can be fixed by lowering afurther ruler for positioning or securing purpose, as the case may be.If desired, the document I! may itself'be covered with a carbon I9 uponwhich another transfer or inscription document may be superimposed, andso on until the upper docu ment is reached, which in any case takes up aposition above the carbons and is held by a securing ruler which may ormay not be provided with recesses I2.

In order to secure the carbons by means of their flaps II, as previouslystated, any suitable means may be provided. In the embodiment shown inFigs. 1 to 3, the carbon securing means comprise piston-like elements 20which slide in housings 2| formed in the base of the mounting Z andsecured to a common plate 22 connected bymeans of-a rod-23 to a-levercam with the It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited tothe embodiments more particularly described and illustrated, but that itcomprises any suitable modifications or equivalents thereof fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions therein, means cooperating with said base plate forpositioning and securing said documents in operating positions, meanscooperating with the base plate for securing the said carbons inoperating positions, a mounting for supporting the said positioning andsecuring means with the securing means for the carbons located sidewiseof the positioning means for the documents, and protrusions and recesseson said documents positioning and securing means for cooperation withthe cut away and solid portions respectively of the carbons, wherebydirect contact may be insured between the documents to be positioned andtheir positioning means.

'2. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portionstherein, means cooperating with said base plate forpositioning said documents in operating positions, means movable towardsand away from the base plate for securing said documents and carbons inoperating positions, a mounting for supporting said positioning andsecuring means with the securing means located sidewise of thepositioning means,

and protrusions and recesses on said positioningand securing means forcooperation with the cut away and solid portions respectively of thecarbons, whereby direct contact may be insured be tween the documents tobe positioned and their positioning means.

3. A document holder comprising abase plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions'therein, means coop crating with said base plate forpositioning and securing said documents in operating positions, andmeans cooperating with the base plate for securing the carbons inoperating positions with the carbon securing means located sidewise ofthe positioning means for the documents, a mounting for supporting saidpositioning and securing means, said positioning and securing meansincluding ruler like members, each having an operating surfacecomprising spaced portions situated substantially in one plane and anintermediate portion or portions situated in another plane or planes, tocooperate with the cut away and solid portions of the carbons, wherebydirect contact may be insured between the documents to be positioned andtheir positionin means.

4. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions therein, a set of document positioning and securingmeans arranged in a substantially parallel formation in cooperativerelation with said base plate, means for securing the carbons arrangedin cooperative rela tion with said base plate at one side. of thedocument positioning means, a mounting on said base plate foroperatively holding the document and carbon positioning and securingmeans, the document positioning and securing means including protrusionsand recesses arranged to cor respond with the cut away and solidportions respectively of the carbons, whereby the documents may bepositioned and secured in edgewise direct contact with their positioningmeans. 0

5. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions therein, means cooperating with said base plate forpositioning said documents, and means cooperating with said base platefor securing the document and carbons in position, a mounting forsupporting said positioning and securing means, said positioning andsecuring means including a set of substantially parallel ruler likemembers movable towards and away from the base plate for positioning thedocuments and securing same in position, and at least one movable memberfor securing the carbons in position and located at one side of said setof ruler like members, each ruler like member having an operatingsurface facing the base plate and comprisin spaced portions situatedsubstantially in one plane and an intermediate portion or portions in atleast another plane, the spaced portions in the said one plane beingnearer the base plate and being made to cooperate with the cut awayportions of the carbons whilst the said intermediate portion or portionsthen cooperate with a solid portion or solid portions of said carbons,whereby direct contact between the documents to be positioned and theirpositioning means may be insured.

6. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions therein, means cooperating with said base plate forpositioning said documents in operating positions, means cooperatingwith the base plate for securing the carbons in operating positions, amounting for supporting said positioning and securing means with thesecuring means for the carbons located at one side of the positioningmeans for the documents, passages in said mounting for accommodatingsolid portions of the carbons, said carbon securing means being arrangedin cooperative relation with said passages.

7. A document holder comprising a base plate adapted to receivesuperimposed removable documents and interposed carbons having cut awayand solid portions therein, a set of parallel rulers movable towards andaway from said base plate for positioning said documents in operatingpo' sitions and securing same in said positions, a mounting for movablysupporting the rulers and means for moving said rulers, protrusions andrecesses on the operating surfaces of the rulers arranged forcooperation with the cut away and solid portions respectively of thecarbons, and means arranged sidewise of the set of rulers for securingthe carbons in operating positions.

8. A document holder as in claim 7, including carbon securing means inthe form of movable pistons, passages in the mounting for solid portionsof the carbons, other passages communicating with the former passages insaid mounting for accommodating said pistons and means for moving saidpistons in and out of securing engagement with said solid portions ofthe carbons.

9. A document holder as in claim 7, including a document and carbonpositioning guide on the mounting, a document and carbon securing rulerhaving a smooth operating surface arranged between said guide and theset of parallel rulers, means in the mounting for movably supportingsaid securing ruler, and means for moving said securing ruler towardsand away from the base plate.

ARMAND ELISABETH. GERMAINE BRUNET ELISABETH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 812,613 France Feb. 8, 1937 671,101Germany Feb. 1, 1939

